You can do hard things AND you don’t have to like it.

You can have a good day and not get your to do list completed. You can love someone and be frustrated with them. You can be happy and sad at the same time. You can fall out of a yoga pose and your value as a human does not change.

Words alone don’t quite encapsulate the energy Yoga on the Roof creates. Some may think yoga and the philharmonic is an unlikely collaboration, but yoga is like a symphony; the entire body working in tempo with the breath. One note alone doesn’t make a piece of music great, it’s the whole composition. In yoga it’s not one shape or one part; it’s the body as a whole working together.

Cultivating a positive thought every time a negative thought enters the mind sounds simple enough, yet it’s not always easy. The reality of switching your thought process like a light switch, especially when you’re experiencing a challenging time can be very difficult. Developing the opposite is ultimately about changing our attitude toward the person or situation creating the difficulty rather than attempting to change the person or situation itself.

Who hasn’t heard the catchy ad slogan, New Year New You applied to everything from diets and fashion to gym memberships? When it comes to yoga, it is the opposite of what yoga is all about.

Yoga is about acceptance, forgiveness, letting go of attachment to false ideas and inviting you to get out of your own way so you can reconnect to the truest self already in existence. Yoga is about clarity and moving beyond illusions and distractions which hide our truest self from our self. It is not about a new self or changing the fundamental being you are.

A few years back I went all Quartermaine style (if you know you know 🙃) for Thanksgiving and started teaching a yoga class in the morning. Thanksgiving can be a challenging holiday for many people. Yoga directs our awareness to the rise and fall of our breath in our body. On our mat we focus on what’s happening in the present moment. Pause get present and give gratitude to what we have here and now. Simply feeling thankful for the body that supports you and this breath that gives you life is something to be thankful for.

At its simplest The Wizard of Oz is a story of transformation. A story of humanity's struggle against forces of the world and the journey of the soul along the path to realization/enlightenment. Spiritual principles taught by Swami Vivekananda are woven into the fabric of story with the four paths of yoga being represented by the four main characters. The wizard representing Maya (illusion) which keep us imprisoned in our ignorance or not fully knowing state. Things/ideas/thoughts exist if we believe they exist. How often have you believed something to be true to eventually find out it wasn’t true at all? Our belief in something keeps the thing alive. Much like the Emerald City. It exists because people believe it exists.

We are all made to fly. To realize our limitless potential as human beings. But instead we sit on our branches, clinging to the things which are familiar to us. Our possibilities are endless, but for many of us, they remain undiscovered. We conform to the familiar, the comfortable. Crow pose is an opportunity for us to destroy the branch of fear we cling to. A chance to free ourselves from attachment and experience the exhilaration of flight. Letting go of doing the pose perfectly or doing the hardest variation or better yet, that your value as a human somehow depends on how ‘well’ you do the pose.

Who takes better care of their cell phones then themselves? Seeing material objects simply as tools which help us to accomplish our goals in life will free us from being controlled by these objects. Enter yoga.

A yoga teacher walks over and hands you a block, you:

a.) Smile, and say thank you.

b.) Smile, say thank you and mean it.

c.) Smile, say thank you and internally seethe, you don’t need a stinking block.

Choice c anyone?

Eagle pose requires us to set down the boulder, release attachment and experience the moment. The wrapped legs challenge both balance and focus. The wrapped arms dare us to broaden our scope of vision. To see things with a broader, more panoramic lens like an eagle high in the sky. Neither looking forward or backward, we exist in the present, ultimately where the past and future unite. Sometimes we fall and sometimes we fly. What’s most important is do we get back up and try again?

Not all arm balances are meant for every single body type. Read that again. We all have different physical attributes. These attributes affect our natural ability to move certain ways and do certain postures. Like the color and shape of our eyes or hair color, some of us have longer torsos or shorter arms, etc. Add in injuries, repetitive stress or other challenges and it can be easier to understand why this is the case.

Practicing backbends help us to take baby steps toward vulnerability and any risk invites a sense of vulnerability. At first, we may feel exposed. We may notice our physical body tensing up or our breath catching, becoming shallow or forced. But over time our body softens, our breath eases and we begin to feel more comfortable in the uncomfortable. Backbends can empower and encourage us to be more courageous and compassionate.

Yoga asks us to search for clarity and aims to move us beyond illusions and distractions which hide our truest self from ourselves. Translation: Don’t believe everything you think. Clarity of mind has a profound impact on perspective.

From childhood we are always hurrying towards a certain age, waiting for life to start while life is happening in between the numbers. Why is the present moment so underrated? Checking the phone relentlessly, disregarding the moment we are in with the people we are with. Wanting to speed forward to the next phase or goal. Shifting so fast from one thing to another, periods of time in our lives become a blur.

Like an organized group of musicians, a yoga class by its very nature is an opportunity for people to have an individual experience in community. Add a rooftop, live music, and it benefits the community. What’s not to love?

Why are we so afraid of silence? From the girl who likes her music so loud the cars next to her are shaking or hotel security is called- that’s a story for another time. Let’s just say MTV called the show headbangers ball for a reason. Is it not better to go through the silence and discomfort and come out the other end relaxed and extricated from the constant go, go, go energy of daily life and the constant whirling and swirling of the mind? Is it worth it to try?

Why are hips simultaneously so popular and unpopular? Ever been in pigeon pose and felt a strong urge to cry? Maybe to laugh uncontrollably? Often it doesn’t register as emotion at first. Sometimes we feel more of a strong resistance, similar to a reflexive reaction. When emotions come bubbling up mid-yoga pose, it can take us by surprise. For most students their first inclination is to run from it, push it down and frequently attach contempt to the pose or pose family that is responsible for opening the floodgates.

It seems hard to believe it was only ten years ago and at the same time it’s difficult to remember a time before Jaya.

I am inspired every day by our incredible students, dedicated teachers and supportive community.

We are excited to announce Jaya will be relocating, effective November 26th. Our new hOMe is incredible! Think high ceilings, new ventilation system, windows that open and brand new floors- no more squeaking.

YOU know yoga has many amazing health benefits, including increased flexibility, improved strength, and better heart health, but do your friends?